Promise Me
by HisWickedKitty
Summary: Rewrite of Concrete Angel from my old profile: SweeneysDeviousLittleAngel. Follow the tragic tale of one Eliza Marianne Hightopp, baby sister to the famous Mad Hatter.


What's this? A new story from the ever absent WickedKitty? Yes, but not quite, my lovelies. 'Tis but a rewrite from my old profile but hey, its something right? Hope you enjoy!

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in wonderland or any of the characters, except Eliza. She's straight from my imagination.**_

* * *

All of Underland was dressed in black, even the Queen. Only for a funeral as tragic as this would she abandon her all white wardrobe. And it certainly was tragic.

They had found Eliza Hightopp three days before Death claimed her as his own. McTwisp had stumbled upon her in the Tugley Wood, lying unconscious in a pool of blood. She'd been beaten by the couple who took her in at the age of seven, just after she had watched her family be massacred. For ten years she lived with them, hiding from the Red Queen's wrath, thinking she was the last of her Clan.

During the funeral, no one could hold back tears. When it was the Queen's turn to give a memorial speech, she stood gracefully, speaking before she even reached the podium.

"We haven't had Eliza around for long, but for those of us old enough to remember, she had always been such a sweet child. But the destruction of her Clan on that fateful night drove her from her brother and changed the little girl we had known and loved. After Horovendoush* Day, Eliza began to plot her revenge all while being cruelly treated by those who had promised to care for her. Eliza was beaten daily, starved, and yet her spirit never died. She carried on with her head held high, hiding the marks and showing no pain. A brave child that I know her parents would be proud of and that we will all surely miss. Now, I have someone who wishes to tell you the full extent of Eliza's story so that this will _never_ happen in Underland again. Champion Alice, if you would please?"

Alice stood up from her seat next to her dear friend. The Hatter left, as discreetly as a distraught Hatter could, knowing his Madness would not stand to hear what she had to say about his beloved baby sister's heartbreaking tale. At the front of the room, Alice gathered her Muchness and began.

"I didn't know Eliza very well, only for the three short days she was at Marmoreal* trying to recover. I spent everyday in the infirmary with her, listening as she wove a tale of abuse, tragedy, and revenge. This is her story, one that she made me promise to tell to keep it and anything like it from happening again."

* * *

" _For the first few years, they never touched me. Just gave me plenty of chores to do and just enough food to get me by. I never thought anything of it. I had to earn my keep; they were hiding a fugitive from the Red Queen after all. I was nine when I got my first beating. Even then, it wasn't nearly as bad. Few too many licks o' the switch. Maggie comforted me and apologized after, saying she hadn't meant to go tha' far, she just forgot herself in anger. There was a lot o' forgettin' as I grew older."_

" _What did you do to earn that first…'beating'", Alice winced as she said the last word. It was an ill-fitting description in her opinion._

 _Eliza laughed, a cold harsh sound that quickly turned into a wracking cough. Alice fussed over her, not wanting to further aggravate her injuries but Eliza simply pushed her away._

" _You want to know what I did? I dropped a pail of milk. Simple as that."_

… _._

" _It continued on like that as I grew, the beatings coming more frequently while the comfort turned non-existent. I was actually glad for that. At least then I knew for certain what sort of monsters they were, instead of having that childish conflict of 'how could they be horrible people when they comforted and apologized afterwards'? Then, about two years ago, is when Jerri decided to get handsy."_

 _Alice looked at her in horror. "He didn't-"_

" _No," Eliza had quickly cut her off with a pained, yet reassuring smile. "Maggie would've had his goods fed to the pigs sooner than you could say 'Futterwacken'. Most he ever got was a handful and if she ever caught him at that, he'd also get a swat upside the head and an earful of nagging. Maggie had no problems beating me senseless, but she drew the line at that."_

" _Good. Shes still a monster, though."_

" _I know. Trust me, I do. That's why I'm telling you all this, Alice. You have to promise me that you'll tell my story so no more children go through this. Children are to be treasured, and kept safe. I need your promise, Champion."_

* * *

"And I'm here, keeping that promise," Alice said to the crowd, wiping the tears that had trailed down her cheeks. She straightened her spine and a chill went through the crowd as they were reminded of just who stood before them. Her fierce expression reminded them all that this was Underland's Champion and she was not to be trifled with. "As long as it is in my power to do so, no more children will suffer the way Eliza suffered."

There was a smattering of applause as Alice stepped down from the podium in search of the Hatter. In one's and two's the population slowly came forward to pay their last respects to the marble white tomb that was the resting place of one Eliza Marianne Hightopp.

Alice found her dear Hatter being comforted by Mirana and Mallyumpkin. Without saying a word, she embraced him tightly, knowing just how hard this was for him. Their roles had been reversed not too long ago when she had lost her mother to consumption.

* * *

"Come with me," she said softly when they pulled apart.

He nodded and allowed her to lead him back to the castle, where she settled down in the music room.

"Eliza told me how much you loved when she played the piano."

'Aye, the little hellion was an angel when her fingers danced across the keys," he replied, his voice rough and sounding a little lost.

Alice gave him a small smile. "Would you like me to play for you?"

He hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "But first. Could yeh… could yeh tell me how it happened? I know she told yeh and I-I need to know. Please Alice."

Alice gave a small sigh, idly playing the keys. 'It isn't going to be easy for you to hear, Tarrant. But I will tell you."

* * *

" _So how did this happen?" Alice asked hesitantly._

" _Are you sure you're ready to hear that story? You haven't taken the others as well as I thought a Champion would."_

" _I don't like to hear about the sufferings of others but I need to know what happened so I can make things right," Alice replied in a steely voice._

 _Eliza smirked at the reaction she'd gotten. "There you are. You tend to forget about your Muchness, you know."_

" _Your brother reminds me often enough, thank you."_

 _Eliza gave a sad little sigh. "Ah Tarrant. He's been as alone as I have for so long and I truly hate to have gotten his hopes up."_

" _What do you mean? The doctors say you'll be out of the infirmary in a few days. Then the two of you won't have to be alone anymore."_

" _The doctors are wrong, Alice. I doubt I'll live to see sunrise. But it's alright, it's my Time. Knowing that Tarrant has so many people around to support him makes it easier to leave him. Be good to him, Alice."_

" _No, you're not leaving him. You're going to get better and the two of you will be a family again."_

 _Eliza laughed. "You should know by now, that's not how things work. So would you like to hear my story or not?"_

 _Alice knew when to give in, so she nodded mournfully._

" _Alright then. It was a typical morning and I had been out back beating the dust from the rugs. As usual, Jerri staggered out of the house, drunk, and made his way over to me._

' _ **Hey Lizzie**_ _' he'd slurred._

 _I told him he needed to get back into the house before he hurt himself… again._

' _ **Ahh c'mon luv. Lighten up a little**_ _,' he'd laughed as he pressed me against the picket fence._

 _When I pushed him away, he got angry. He'd snatched the metal rug beater out of my hand and smashed it against the side of my head. That's how I got my fractured skull. When I went inside, Maggie decided I hadn't done my chores fast enough and pushed me down the cellar stairs into my 'room'. I was lucky that didn't break my neck, but I had decided that enough was enough. I was old enough to get a job in town so I decided to pack what little I had and run. I made it all the way to a little meadow I had claimed as my own a few years back. The feeling of safety and the utter exhaustion from my demanding lifestyle with those bastards soon had me asleep in the soft grass. The next thing I knew, there was a bag o'er my head and I was getting the worst beatin' of my life. I thrashed and tried to fight back but couldn't do a damn thing all while Jerri's voice rang in my ears between blows._

' _ **You stupid Hightopp. Your whole family was a disgrace, filthy inbreeds. You should have died along with them.'**_

 _That, of course, triggered my Madness like nothing else had. All I saw was red and there happened to be a very sharp rock nearby…. Having seen my brother during one of his episodes, I'm sure you can guess what happened."  
_

 _Alice looked a little green but she nodded. "I think after that is when McTwisp found you."_

" _More than likely. I remember stumbling away from the body but I blacked out not long after then woke up here. I doubt after telling you this, I'll need to remind you of your promise."_

" _No. You have my word."_

" _Good, now could you do me one last favor?"_

" _Anything."_

" _I'd like to say goodbye to my brother."_

* * *

His eyes were a brilliant shade of amber, but Hatter had not reacted violently during her retelling. Once finished speaking, Alice rested her head against his chest, her arms around his wait as they sat on the piano bench.

"Will yeh play fer me now, Alice?" he asked, his Outlandish burr thick.

She nodded and sat up to run her fingers across the keys before she began to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. He kept his arms wrapped around her waist as she played the haunting tune, letting the music express their grief in a way they could not. It wasn't closure by any means, but it was a start.

 _ **FIN**_

* * *

* **A/N** Spelling comes from the AiW Wiki. Not 100% certain if its right.

It felt good to write again. I really missed this. Hopefully I can post again soon.

There's a little button down there that I would really appreciate you hitting. :D Reviews are ALWAYS lovely.

~WickedKitty


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